Department for Transport

Tolls: EU Action

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the plans of European Union Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc for a European Union-wide road toll scheme; and whether any decision on such plans would be decided by unanimity or qualified majority.

Baroness Kramer: The Government has seen no plans for a European Union-wide road toll scheme from European Union Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc and is very clear that we will not introduce any road charging scheme. The Government’s view is that any future choices on charging systems would be quasi-fiscal in nature and so should be considered under the tax base of the Treaty, rather than the transport base. This would mean unanimity would be required.

East Coast Railway Line

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the recently completed East Coast Main Line franchise competition, how much they have spent on (1) legal, and (2) financial, advice.

Baroness Kramer: The table below shows the total paid to external advisors for legal and financial advice to 30 January 2015 for the franchise competition (£-excluding VAT). AdvisorsLegalFinancial AdviceTotal1,196,957.241,250,538.00 As the Intercity East Coast franchise competition was the first competition to be run in full since the launch of the franchising programme in March 2013 some of these costs include advice on developing new policies and processes that will be of benefit in future franchise competitions.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much they have spent on HS2 and all its associated works to date.

Baroness Kramer: The actual spend to the end of January 2015 is £913m. This includes HS2 Ltd resource and capital and High Speed Rail Group (DfT (c)) capital expenditure: PeriodResourceCapitalTotalPre 14/15£442.8m£168.3m£611.1m14/15£23.2m£278.6m£301.8mTotal£466m£447m£912.9m

Road Signs and Markings

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that non-English-speaking road users can read road signs.

Baroness Kramer: Local authorities have a duty to ensure that their traffic signs and road markings comply with the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD) or are otherwise specially authorised by the Secretary of State. To provide consistency for road safety and efficient traffic management, TSRGD specifies that signs used on roads in Great Britain are in English. The Welsh Language Act 1993, however, allows for both Welsh and English to be used on traffic signs placed in Wales and the responsibility for specifying such bilingual signs is a devolved matter. The UK traffic signing system uses largely symbolic signing for warning and regulatory signs without the use of worded plates to explain the symbols. This means that many signs are fully understandable by drivers even if those drivers do not speak English.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which local authorities in England have taken part in the Weekly Collection Support Scheme; how many authorities took part in the expression of interest process; which have subsequently received financial support, and how much; and of those, which have reinstated weekly collections of general (“grey” or “residual”) waste, which have used the support to collect food waste separately, and which have used it in other ways.

Lord Ahmed: In March 2012, my Department received initial expressions of interest from 151 lead local authorities, which resulted in bids from 113 local authorities. Some local authorities submitted multiple expressions of interest which were consolidated before final bid stage. The final bids were then assessed in line with the published criteria, and recipients then awarded funding.A detailed table listing the schemes that are being supported is attached and on my Department’s website. It may be helpful to the noble Lord to outline what this Government has delivered since 2010: Safeguarded weekly collections for 6 million households through the Weekly Collection Support Scheme as well as championing innovation and best practice; the answer of 14 May 2014, Official Report, House of Commons 646W, outlined how 14 million households in England have some form of weekly collection of smelly rubbish.  Issued the first ever Whitehall guidance on weekly bin collections, demolishing the myths that fortnightly bin collections are needed to save money or increase recycling. This best practice was directly informed by the Weekly Collections Support Scheme;  Supported over 40 innovative reward schemes to back recycling through the Weekly Collection Support Scheme (as pledged in the Coalition Agreement); the winning bids for a further Recycling Rewards Scheme for 2015-16 will be announced shortly;  Stopped the Audit Commission inspections which marked down councils who do not adopt fortnightly rubbish collections, and rejected the Audit Commission guidance which advocated fortnightly collections (“Waste Management: The Strategic Challenge and Waste Management Quick Guide”);  Abolished the Local Area Agreements and National Indicator 191 imposed by Whitehall which created perverse incentives to downgrade waste collection services;   Scrapped the Whitehall requirement for municipal Annual Efficiency Statements, which allowed a reduction in the frequency of a household rubbish collection service to qualify as a “valid efficiency” and allowed revenue from bin fines to classed as a “cashable efficiency gain”;   Scrapped the imposition of eco-towns which would have had fortnightly bin collections and/or bin taxes as part of the “eco-standards”;   Through the Localism Act, revoked the 2008 legislation that allowed for the imposition of new bin taxes;   Issued guidance to stop the imposition of illegal ‘backdoor bin charging’ on households bins;   Stopped funding the ‘Waste Improvement Network’ which told councils to adopt fortnightly collections as best practice;   Challenged the incorrect interpretation by some bodies that European Union directives require fortnightly collections, and resisted the imposition of bin taxes by the European Union;   Removing powers of entry and snooping powers from bin inspectors and scrapped guidance telling councils to rifle through families’ bins;   Changed building regulations and planning guidance to tackle ‘bin blight’, and worked with the NHBC Foundation to produce new best practice guidance for house builders;   Changing the law through the Deregulation Bill to scrap unfair bin fines.   Without our active support, Ministers are clear that weekly collections would have disappeared across England. This Government’s approach can be contrasted with the devolved Labour-led Administration in Wales, where fortnightly bin collections are official policy, and pilots of monthly bin collections are being actively encouraged.



List of Supported Schemes
(PDF Document, 2.05 MB)

Northumberland County Council

Lord Vinson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made, or intend to make, representations to Northumberland County Council about that authority’s plans to relocate its headquarters from Morpeth to Ashington, and in particular the impact of the move on residents of remoter urban and rural areas of that county; and, if so, in what terms.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We have made no such representations as such decisions are for Councils themselves. If Northumberland County Council have decided to relocate their Headquarters, they will have to answer through the ballot box for the decision and the impacts it will have on the people of Northumberland.Councils should consider the potential savings to taxpayers from better property management, whilst also carefully considering the public's access to frontline services.

Community Relations

Baroness Afshar: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to introduce measures to help prevent Muslims born and bred in the United Kingdom from being labelled by their faith and excluded from the mainstream.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: My rt hon friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Eric Pickles) made a Written Ministerial Statement on 18 December, Official Report Column 110WS, setting out the Government’s work on integration. As the Statement notes since 2010 the Department for Communities and Local Government has spent £45 million on supporting integration projects. It also makes clear that we are rising to the challenges, championing what unites our country across class, colour and creed and making clear that Britain is a stronger nation because of its faith communities. We are also taking initiatives and supporting communities in addressing anti-Muslim hatred. We are clear that British values are Muslim values and there are incredible and powerful examples of Muslim social action and charitable contributions made by Britain's Muslim communities. Britain has a proud track record of multi-faith cooperation and we are confident that our communities work together in strengthening society. This cannot be achieved by Government alone and local communities and faith leaders are in a unique position in working with Government in ensuring that no British citizen feels marginalised.

Religious Hatred

Baroness Afshar: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to introduce measures to combat Islamophobia in the United Kingdom.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: This Government has done more than any other to tackle anti-Muslim hatred:We have set up the first ever cross-government working group on anti-Muslim hatred which was established to consider and take forward proposals to tackle anti-Muslim hatred. The Group engages with Muslim communities and advises Government on how best to take forward key priorities;Provided start-up funding to the Tell MAMA initiative to record incidents and support victims of anti-Muslim hatred;Established a UK Srebrenica Memorial Day which recognises the fatal consequences of hatred and division;Run social media workshops to build the capacity of community organisations to use social media effectively;Held 8 integration roadshows with communities to find out what more Government can do to integrate communities and tackle anti-Muslim hatred. Further roadshows are planned throughout 2015;Following the attacks in Paris, My Right Honourable Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and I wrote on 16 January to mosques across England reassuring them of Government help if they experience anti-Muslim hatred. The Department has also assured faith and community leaders of its support to their commendable efforts to foster mutual understanding and shared respect;Proactive engagement with the police to combat anti-Muslim hatred;Initiated roundtable discussions with representatives of Muslim communities, including Imams and Muslim youth leaders;Regular ministerial engagement and attendance at Muslim community events.

Shops

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, given the increasing prevalence of online retailers, what steps they are taking to support local authorities and town centre managers in increasing trade for high street shops.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Since 2010, we have taken forward a wide range of activities to help communities adapt to changing high streets. In 2011 the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister commissioned retail expert Mary Portas to conduct an independent review, and the Government accepted all but one of the 28 recommendations. The Government provided direct funding and support to 24 Portas Pilots (a further 3 were funded by the Mayor of London) and over 330 town teams, who are working with local communities, businesses and local authorities to identify and tackle the issues faced in their local area. We established the Future High Streets Forum, to advise Government and develop practical policies. The Forum has worked with us to launch the successful Great British High Streets Portal, which brings together practical support and advice for all local authorities and groups working to regenerate their town centres. In 2014, we launched the Great British High Street Awards, which have been a great success, and will be running again in 2015. We have provided support for retail markets, including funding for the ‘Love Your Local Market’ campaigns. We have provided support for the establishment of Business Improvement Districts with a loan fund to help start up costs. In November 2014, we announced new measures to strengthen the role of Business Improvement Districts, to ensure they are able to have a play a key role in shaping and revitalising their town centres. We have increased business rate discounts for 300,000 businesses including doubling small business rate relief, capping the inflation increase to 2%, and a targeted discount for smaller shops, pubs and restaurants. In total this amounted to over £1.4 billion of government support. We have also given local councils wide-ranging, discretionary powers to grant business rates discounts as they see fit, empowering them to invest in the future of their town centres. Where they do so, central Government will automatically meet 50% of any costs. We are also tackling aggressive parking enforcement, and have introduced new permitted development rights to help town centres to be more flexible.Recent research demonstrated that the internet can be a friend to the high street, with 'click and collect' being an increasing driver for footfall to town centres.

Mayors: Greater Manchester

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review the elected representation in each district council of Greater Manchester after (1) the appointment of a Mayor for Greater Manchester, and (2) the election of a Mayor for Greater Manchester.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We have no such plans. The Government has no role in the review of elected representation in local authorities. All such matters are the responsibility of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, a body entirely independent of Government and directly responsible to Parliament. The Commission has a statutory duty to keep electoral arrangements in local government, including councillor numbers, under review and it decides how and when any review will take place.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Ukraine: Russia

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Russia following the shelling of Mariupol in Ukraine on 26 January.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), made clear in his press statement on 25 January, we condemn in the strongest terms Russian-backed separatist attacks in Mariupol on 24 January which killed at least 30 innocent civilians, including children, and wounded many others. Recent announcements by the separatist leaders of further offensives, and their blatant refusal to abide by the ceasefire, raise serious questions about the commitments they made at Minsk. We call on Russia to stop its material support to the separatists immediately, and use its considerable influence over the separatist leadership to stop these indiscriminate attacks. The Foreign Secretary's messages have been reiterated in all meetings between UK and Russian officials in both Moscow and London since the separatist attacks in Mariupol.

Egypt

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Egypt, following the release of Peter Greste, on behalf of Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), make regular representations to the Egyptian government to press them to take further action to ensure the release of other journalists from prison, to release political detainees and to relax restrictions on civil society. The Foreign Secretary made a press statement on 2 February welcoming the release of Peter Greste but stating his concern that Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed remain in detention. He called on the Egyptian authorities to review their cases and the sentences of those tried in absentia as a matter of urgency.We continue to believe that stability and prosperity in Egypt is dependent on open and inclusive politics and on full respect for the rights contained in the Egyptian constitution.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the level of violence, civil unrest, and political tension in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Progress has been made in recent years towards tackling armed groups and improving the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)’s security and stability. But the country remains fragile – as highlighted by the recent violence following the introduction of draft electoral reform legislation.The Foreign and Commonwealth Office press statement of 26 January welcomed the revised electoral law, which sought to address some of the protestors’ concerns. We are pleased that calls for an end to violence were heeded. Free, fair and peaceful elections, in line with the DRC’s constitution, are an integral part of efforts to build a more secure and prosperous country. We remain committed to working with the DRC government, UN and our international partners to support the DRC in the lead-up to Presidential and Parliamentary elections scheduled for 2016.

Eritrea

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the assurances given by the government of Eritrea to the Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials who visited Eritrea in December 2014 that military service there will be limited to 18 months; and whether they will undertake analysis of the matter and report on the outcome.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Eritrean government decree (dated 23 October 1995) on national service provides for it to be eighteen months in duration. However, since the 1998-2002 war with Ethiopia, national service has been extended for many citizens over an unspecified period. We have regularly raised the importance of limiting national service with the Eritrean government, most recently in December 2014. Eritrean officials provided assurances that national service will now be strictly limited to 18 months. We welcome this decision but will continue to press the Eritrean government to live up to this commitment.

Egypt

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Egypt about unarmed and non-violent civilians reportedly killed by police and the military in Egypt since July 2013; what replies, if any, they have received; and in particular what assurances they have received that such deaths will be independently investigated and prevented in future.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Since July 2013 Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers have issued several press statements condemning the use of violence against protesters and calling on the security forces to act with restraint. Ministers have also made regular representations to the Egyptian government to state our concerns. Most recently, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), issued a press statement on 26 January expressing concern at the use of deadly force by the police against demonstrators in Egypt. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), also raised his concerns directly with the Egyptian Foreign Minister and pressed for an independent investigation into the deaths of Shaimaa El-Sabbagh and other demonstrators. President al-Sisi has publicly offered his condolences to Shaimaa El-Sabbagh’s family, and the Minister of the Interior announced that an investigation is underway.We look forward to the publication of the full report of the Fact-Finding Committee investigation into the events of 30 June 2013. We have stressed that this report must be comprehensive, independent and lead to accountability for the deaths of protestors.

Ukraine

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Ukraine, bilaterally and through the European Union, since the latest breakdown of the Minsk peace agreement; and what was the outcome of any discussions.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Ministers and officials are regularly in contact with the Ukrainian authorities to discuss the situation on the ground and the diplomatic process. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), met President Poroshenko and Foreign Minister Klimkin on 27 January 2015. We support diplomatic efforts that aim to bring about a peaceful resolution of the crisis in eastern Ukraine, such as those led by Chancellor Merkel and President Hollande, which we hope will lead to constructive dialogue between all parties. Ukraine is also regularly discussed in the EU in the Foreign Affairs Council and at the European Council, most recently at the EU Foreign Affairs Council on 9 February where new sanctions against Russians and Ukrainian separatists were adopted with implementation delayed pending the outcome of further peace talks.

Syria

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which entity they recognise as the legitimate government of Syria.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The British Government recognises nation states and not governments. While the UK does not recognise the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces as the Syrian government, the UK does recognise the Syrian National Coalition as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people.

Syria

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what contacts they maintain with opposition groups in Syria.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We maintain very regular contact with moderate Syrian opposition groups, including those in Syria largely through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Syria Overseas Network and the UK Special Representative for Syria. We support the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces both politically and practically in their efforts to promote a democratic and pluralistic vision of Syria free from both Assad’s brutality and extremism. We also support a range of civilian actors including Civil Defence Teams, Police and Local Councils providing essential services in Syria in areas no longer under the control of the Assad regime. We plan to make a significant contribution to the US train and equip programme to help the Syrian moderate armed opposition counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Government

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Randerson on 2 February (HL4532), why they still have not answered the original question; and whether they will now answer it.

Baroness Randerson: I have nothing to add to my previous replies of 19 January, 27 January and 4 February to the Noble Lord.

Wales Office

European Union

Lord Tugendhat: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total cost of the Review of the Balance of Competences between the United Kingdom and the European Union to the Wales Office and its associated agencies, broken down by (1) staff time, (2) printing costs, (3) running of engagement events, (4) witness expenses, (5) publicity of the reports, and (6) any and all other associated costs.

Baroness Randerson: As you will be aware, the Balance of Competences Review concluded in December. It was the most comprehensive analysis of the UK’s relationship with the EU ever undertaken. The Review involved a large number of Departments across Whitehall to produce the 32 reports. The Review was based on the evidence and views received through widespread consultation with interested parties from across society. Across the whole review, departments received close to 2,300 evidence submissions. Departments held over 250 events, attended by around 2,100 stakeholders. It was important that what is an unprecedented examination of EU membership was done with appropriate time and care. But the government is also very conscious of the need to ensure value for money in everything that it does. Work undertaken by the Wales Office was allocated according to need to existing staff within the Department. Providing a full breakdown of staff time and costs would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold

Ministry of Justice

Magna Carta

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Islamic countries have been invited to participate in the Global Law Summit marking 800 years since Magna Carta; and which Islamic countries will send delegations.

Lord Faulks: A large number of delegations have been invited, and will be attending, from around the globe. We are pleased that this will include over 90 Ministers and Attorneys General representing at least 65 governments and that delegates will come from countries of many different religions and many different types of legal system.

Home Office

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Bates on 18 December 2014 (HL3693) and by Lord Henley on 13 March 2013 (WA 73) and 10 January 2012 (WA37–8), which Home Office Minister authorised the decision to withhold from Parliament the names of the Home Office officials convicted of offences relating to misconduct in public office for which they have received custodial sentences; and when the previous practice of revealing such names in parliamentary answers was changed.

Lord Bates: Lord Bates approved the response to HL3693 but in view of the Noble Lords further question we are reviewing our position and will write accordingly.

Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry

Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the cost of the proposed inquiry by the independent panel into Child Sexual Abuses; and whether the cost will come from the Home Office budget as currently published.

Lord Bates: The Independent Panel Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse is of the highest priority for the Home Secretary. We will ensure appropriate funding is made available for the Inquiry to carry out its functions as part of a cost-sharing arrangement across Government.

Deportation

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) Bulgarian, and (2) Romanian, passport holders are awaiting deportation from the United Kingdom.

Lord Bates: Most immigration offenders are removed under administrative or illegal entry powers from the UK and are not deported. Deportations are a specific subset of removals which are enforced either following a criminal conviction or when it is judged that a person’s removal from the UK is conducive to the public good. The question has been taken as meaning all enforced removals.The table below shows the number of Romanian and Bulgarian nationals as of 30 January 2015 awaiting either removal or deportation as a combined total, with removal directions scheduled and set for removal. Removal Directions set Romania 20 Bulgaria 5

Borders: Personal Records

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the European Commission's plan to collect and store for five years the personal data of all passengers flying in and out of the European Union; whether they support the plan; and whether nation states' parliaments would have the power to decide whether or not to implement it.

Lord Bates: The UK Government has been calling for an effective EU framework on Passenger Name Records (PNR) for several years and we are carefully considering the Commission’s proposals. We are supportive of the need to collect and store passenger data for five years as a proportionate and necessary tool in the fight against terrorism and serious crime.The Commission’s proposals for a draft Directive would require that Member States bring into force its provisions within two years of the Directive’s entry into force.

Police: Autism

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 5 February (HL4542), whether there is a deadline for completing work to establish whether a separate marker, specifically for autism, can be added to the Police National Computer.

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 5 February (HL4542), whether the current police information technology systems are capable of accommodating an additional marker, specifically for autism, to be added to the Police National Computer.

Lord Bates: For the purposes of speed of implementation it is proposed to use an existing marker to encompass cases of autism rather than developing a specific marker, which would require further significant work and assessment. These proposals are expected to be considered by the Police National Computer Board within the next month.

Electronic Surveillance

Lord Strasburger: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the recommendation from the Interception of Communications Commissioner that judicial authorisation is obtained in cases where communications data are sought to determine the source of journalistic information, whether they intend to implement the recommendation; and, if so, when.

Lord Bates: The Government indicated on the day that the Interception of Communications Commissioner’s inquiry report was published that we accepted the recommendations in it in full. We will bring forward the necessary legislation as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Large Goods Vehicles: Road Traffic Offences

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many breaches of the law by foreign-registered heavy goods vehicles in 2013–14 resulted in either a fixed penalty notice or a court summons; and how many of those were successfully enforced.

Lord Bates: The data requested in not available as it is not centrally collected.The Home Office collect data on the number of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued by police forces in England and Wales for various motoring offences, as well as the number of these FPNs that are paid and the number in which the fine is registered in court. This data cannot be broken down by type of vehicle or owner of vehicle.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Energy: Billing

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the number of families with children currently in debt to their energy companies.

Baroness Verma: The Department does not hold information on how many families are in debt with their energy companies.Ofgem closely monitors domestic energy suppliers’ performance and publishes information in relation to debt owed by domestic electricity and gas accounts holders in Great Britain, but they do not publish data relating to families with children. At the end of 2013, latest data available, 1.5 million domestic electricity account holders and 1.4 million domestic gas account holders were in debt to their energy supplier:https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/92186/annualreport2013finalforpublication.pdf.

Energy: Billing

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to prioritise support for families with children when they fall behind on their bills to energy companies.

Baroness Verma: This Government has implemented a range of measures to help vulnerable households reduce their energy bills, including colder weather payments and warm home discount.For those customers who fall behind on payments, suppliers are obligated to take their ability to pay into account when setting a repayment plan. Some suppliers also provide special grants and services to help families. Further information is available free from the Home Heat Helpline on 0800 33 66 99.

Cabinet Office

Electoral Register: Young People

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of how many eligible 16–24 year old electors (1) are registered to vote, (2) are missing from the electoral registers, (3) (a) may be, and (b) are, incorrectly registered to vote, and (4) have not been matched under the new system of individual electoral registration.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Electoral Commission’s (EC) assessment of the completeness and accuracy of the last electoral registers published under the previous household system is published in the quality of the 2014 electoral registers in Great Britian report. I have placed a copy in the library.The Commission will next report on the completeness and accuracy of the electoral registers following the end of the transition to IER, which will either be in December 2015 or December 2016.The Commission’s next report on progress in the transition to Individual Electoral Registration (IER) will be published later this month. This will focus on the electoral registers as at 1 December 2014 in England and Wales.Almost nine in ten electors were automatically transferred to the new IER register without having to do anything. I have placed the Government's assessment of this process in the library.

Government Departments: Work Experience

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to hold centrally the data on the details of internships within each Government Department.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: Data is held centrally for corporate internship schemes. These consist of: The Whitehall Internship Programme for Year 9 & 12 school pupils and; the Summer Diversity Internship Programme for penultimate & final year undergraduates. From spring 2015, Civil Service Resourcing will also be running the Early Diversity Internship Programme for first year undergraduates. Data for other internships offered by individual departments will continue to be held by the relevant department.

Electoral Register

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the number of electors registered in each constituency on the new electoral registers; what is the change compared with the registers as first published in the previous year in (1) numbers, and (2) as a percentage change; and whether they are taking further action to increase the number of people registered before the General Election.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: We are only mid-way through the transition to Individual Electoral Registration (IER) and so the current electoral registers offer only an initial and partial snapshot of the registration landscape. Electoral statistics based on the last electoral registers published under the previous household system are available on the Office for National Statistics website:http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pop-estimate/electoral-statistics-for-uk/2013/stb---2013-electoral-statistics.html ONS plans to publish statistics for England and Wales on 26 February based on the registers as at 1 December 2014 and on 16 April for the Scottish registers as at 2 March 2015.  The Government has provided funding of over £14 million between financial years 2013/14 and 2014/15 to support the costs of activities aimed at increasing the completeness and accuracy of the electoral register. We have also provided all Local Authorities and Valuation Joint Boards in Great Britain with a share of £30m resource funding, across this financial year and the previous financial year, to support them in making the transition to IER.

Department of Health

Maternity Services

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to improve maternity and neonatal care in NHS hospitals.

Earl Howe: Women should receive excellent maternity services that focus on the best outcomes for women and their babies and on women’s experience of care. For premature and sick newborn babies and their families, neonatal services should deliver the best evidence-based care to improve both life expectancy and quality of life for newborn babies.   Maternity services feature prominently in the key objectives set out in the Mandate between the Government and NHS England, which states that women should be offered the greatest choice of providers and a named midwife who is responsible for ensuring she has personalised one-to-one care throughout pregnancy, childbirth and during the postnatal period, including additional support for those who have a health concern.   To support these objectives the Government has taken steps to improve the size and capacity of the maternity workforce and to improve the quality of the environments in which women give birth and are cared for. There is now a record number of midwives working in the National Health Service, nearly 2,000 more since 2010, and a record 6,400 midwifery students currently in training.   The number of midwifery-led units has increased from 87 units in 2007 to 152 units in 2013, giving more women increased choice of place of birth. 79% of women of childbearing age in England now live within a 30 minute drive of both a midwifery-led unit and an obstetric unit - up from 59% in 2007. In 2013 and 2014, the Government invested £35 million in capital which provided new equipment and facilities such as birthing pools, reclining chairs and beds that allow fathers to stay overnight, ensuite bathrooms, midwife-led units, complex needs suites for women with mental health or substance misuse problems and bereavement rooms to support families after a stillbirth or an early neonatal death.   The Friends and Family Test in December showed that 96% of women would recommend their maternity service for antenatal care, 97% for their labour and birth care and 98% for their postnatal community care.   We have raised awareness of the importance of good maternal mental health during pregnancy and the first year after birth. The Mandate between the Government and NHS England also includes a specific objective to reduce the incidence and impact of postnatal depression through earlier diagnosis, and better intervention and support. In England, the number of inpatient mother and baby units specialising in psychiatric care during the perinatal period increased from 10 units in 2010 to 17 units in 2014. Health Education England (HEE) will ensure that training in perinatal mental health is available so that specialist staff will be available to every birthing unit by 2017. HEE will work with the National College of Midwifery and the Royal College of Midwives to ensure that there is a core module focussing on perinatal mental health in the undergraduate training of all midwives. We have trained 400 perinatal mental health visitor champions who are supporting health visitors with the identification and management of anxiety, mild to moderate depression and other perinatal mental disorders and knowing when to refer on.   The Department has also commissioned the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit at Oxford University to develop a perinatal mental health indicator, which will help us to better identify and address gaps in our services. NHS England is developing a plan to support women with postnatal mental health problems by March 2015 which will share best practice and learning with the NHS.   The Government has also made reducing stillbirth an improvement area for the NHS in the NHS Outcomes Framework. The stillbirth rate is falling – from 3,558 stillbirths in 2012 to 3,284 in 2013. The Department of Health is working with key partners on programmes aimed at reducing stillbirth and neonatal mortality by raising awareness of the known risk factors, identifying the currently known and unknown factors and causes associated with perinatal and infant mortality and facilitating the learning and sharing of good practice across the NHS.   As a specialised service, responsibility for commissioning neonatal critical care rests with NHS England. In 2014, NHS England published service specifications for neonatal critical care services and Neonatal Critical Care Retrieval, which take account of the principles set out in the Toolkit for High Quality Neonatal Services (2009).   It is for local hospital trusts and specialised commissioners to decide how best to use the guidance and the NICE quality standard for specialist neonatal care to improve babies’ chances of survival and minimise mortality associated with being born either premature or unwell. Trusts should provide a family-centred approach to care and improve the quality of care by working in partnership with other providers and commissioners through Operational Delivery Networks as part of the broader Maternity and Children’s Strategic Network.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Lord Morrow: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether robust clinical trials are planned to take place for both pronuclear transfer and spindle-chromosomal complex transfer; and if not, why not.

Lord Morrow: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what body will be responsible for overseeing clinical trials of pronuclear transfer and spindle-chromosomal complex transfer.

Earl Howe: The provision of treatment services involving the use of the Maternal Spindle Transfer and Pronuclear Transfer mitochondrial donation techniques will not be provided as a clinical trial.   Clinical trials are regulated by the Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations 2004, which implements the Clinical Trials Directive 2001/20/EC. The Regulations do not cover treatment services.   The Regulations define a clinical trial as:   “clinical trial” means any investigation in human subjects, other than a non-interventional trial, intended— (a) to discover or verify the clinical, pharmacological or other pharmacodynamic effects of one or more medicinal products, (b) to identify any adverse reactions to one or more such products, or (c) to study absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of one or more such products,   with the object of ascertaining the safety or efficacy of those products;”.   If the Draft Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (Mitochondrial Donation) Regulations 2015 are approved by Parliament, clinics wishing to offer this service will need to seek prior approval from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. Applications will be considered by the Authority on a case by case basis.